Introduction

Every product you buy, every service you use, and every non-profit organization you donate to have one thing in common: marketing. Every company, large or small, uses marketing to sell its products or services. You probably think marketing is mainly the flashy ad campaigns you see on television and in magazines. But that is only one facet of it. Marketing is actually involved in researching, designing, distributing, pricing, and promoting products and services.

Earning an education in marketing can open many doors. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” Simply put, marketing is involved in nearly all aspects of business.

Many believe that marketing jobs are primarily sales jobs or ad agency jobs. But that is just a myth. Marketing jobs can be found in many key company departments. This is why many students choose to pursue a degree in marketing.

Before a new product comes on the market, a company needs to understand its target customer. One of the most fascinating aspects of marketing is understanding consumer behavior. Understanding what motivates a customer to buy means understanding what kinds of needs drive their behavior, are whether social influences or cultural influences impacting affect their buying decisions, are whether they are influenced by opinion leaders or family members, who makes purchasing decisions in a household. Proper research helps determine potential customers’ buying behavior, which can lead to huge product successes. Marketing research is a popular and satisfying career a marketing graduate can pursue.

Product strategy is one of the most important aspects of marketing. Through market research, a company should now understand what their target consumer is looking for. The next question is how to design a product that meets their needs. Should it be a new product line or part of an existing product line? Will older products need to be phased out? What kind of packaging is needed? A person with a degree in marketing can land a job as a marketing analyst, analyzing data and making suggestions.

Pricing strategies can make or break a product. If the product is priced too high, the target market may not be able to afford it. If the product is priced too low, the product’s value may be poorly perceived. What type of pricing strategy will be used? Psychological pricing, promotional pricing, and product line pricing all need to be determined. A marketing major can lead to a lucrative career as a brand manager. Brand managers are found in many companies like Kraft Foods, General Mills, and Nestle which have brand managers for their top divisions. They may be responsible for pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies.

Promotional campaigns will need to be launched to promote the product. When people think of marketing, this is usually what comes to mind as popular promotion methods:

• Print and Television ads
• Samples
• Premiums
• Contests
• Sponsorships

Decide on an advertising plan and continuously evaluate the results. To land a coveted ad agency position, you will need to pursue a degree in marketing.

Sales representatives are the epitome of marketing. To customers, they are the face of a company. To companies, they are essential in spreading promotional sales messages, ensuring products are merchandised properly, and keeping an eye on the competition.

An online marketing degree is one of the most versatile college degrees to earn. Job opportunities are plentiful, with great opportunities for income growth. You can choose to work in research, new product development, analytics, communications, sales, or management.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Marketing Major

Choosing to earn a college degree is a big decision. You want to make sure you pick an area of study in which you can excel. But, you also want to make sure your area of study has career possibilities. Earning a marketing diploma is a terrific choice.

Advantages of a Degree in Marketing:

• Of all the business degrees to earn, marketing is one of the most versatile. Every company, regardless of size, uses marketing. Marketing is not just advertising and promotional messages. The marketing function is also involved in research, product management, pricing, and distribution. Thus, marketing majors have a variety of opportunities from which to choose.
• Marketing is a popular choice for many people because of the possible career paths they can take. If you love to sell, become a sales representative. If you want to use your marketing skills and your creative side, consider becoming an advertising manager or account executive at an advertising agency. If you are interested in developing marketing strategies for a product or service, think about becoming a marketing manager or brand manager. If you love marketing, but are more analytically oriented than sales oriented, then perhaps becoming a market research analyst is for you.
• Earning potential is another plus. Since marketing is so instrumental to a company's success, many marketing jobs will pay a great salary. As you get more experience and hold higher-level jobs, expect your income opportunities to increase. Sales representative and sales manager jobs can be especially lucrative. Many of these jobs pay a salary plus commission. So, if you are a terrific salesperson, you can expect your income to rise. Many companies also offer sales contests with awards ranging from money to lavish vacations.
• Since every company has some sort of marketing strategy, these jobs are located all across the country. You may go to school in North Carolina, but have to move to Colorado after graduation. Not to worry, there are plenty of marketing opportunities all over the country. In addition, you get to choose the industry in which you want to work. Maybe you like the medical field, but don't want to become a doctor or nurse. Consider becoming a sales representative, market research analyst, or marketing manager for one of the many companies in the health-care industry. Maybe you have a cause that is close to your heart. Check out related non-profit organizations to see if they need a marketing specialist.
• Marketing will cross over many different departments in a company. Marketing majors are able to interact with all sorts of different individuals. Many business degrees will have you working in just one department like accounting or finance. But marketing allows you to interact with a variety of people. This not only makes your work more interesting, but it could also open up even more career possibilities.

Disadvantages of a Degree in Marketing:

• With all the great advantages to earning a marketing degree, there are also some disadvantages.
• There are many opportunities a person can pursue with this degree. As a result, it has become one of the most popular degrees to earn. This means that competition in the job market can be stiff. With so many people earning a degree in marketing, you will need to do a little marketing of your own when applying for a job.
• Time spent on the job is the other disadvantage. Many sales representative jobs will require you to travel. A company will typically reimburse you for your expenses, but you will be spending time away from your friends and family. Marketing managers and advertising managers can work very long hours with a very tight, demanding timeline. Take a look at your personal situation and decide which marketing career fits best with your lifestyle and family commitments.
  

Marketing Associations

Earning a degree in marketing does not mean that your marketing education has ended. In fact, your education is just beginning. Once you join the workforce, you will need to keep up to date on the latest marketing trends and newest marketing concepts. Marketing is constantly changing and evolving. But, you don't have to go back to college in order to stay current with the latest marketing news. There are many marketing associations that will help keep you up to date. These associations are filled with members who hold a variety of marketing positions across a wide spectrum of industries. They are a great learning resource and a great place to network with fellow marketing professionals.

American Marketing Association

• The American Marketing Association (AMA) is one of the largest marketing associations in the country. Since the early 1900's, its members have included marketing professionals, marketing professors, and marketing researchers. One of its primary goals is connecting members so that they can to share marketing knowledge. Perhaps you are tackling a marketing problem and need some insight from fellow professionals outside of your company. This is a place to seek assistance. The AMA also helps keep members up to speed on some of the newest trends. It produces many journals, including the Journal of Marketing, which has been published for more than 70 years. Magazines like Marketing News, Marketing Management, and Marketing Research are used by managers and executives to help plan marketing strategies. The AMA also holds conferences throughout the year on hot- button issues. You must become a member to access the material on its their Web site, and holds regional chapter events and maintains a job board where you can post your resume and search for jobs.

Direct Marketing Association

• The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) was established in 1917. Unlike the American Marketing Association, which covers a broad spectrum of marketing techniques, the DMA focuses mainly on direct marketing. The DMA has great educational tools: seminars, training, webinars, databases, and a terrific library filled with case studies, benchmark analysis, and more. As a member, you can complete the Search Engine Marketing certification or the DMA Certified Marketing Professional Program. These are great learning tools and a nice addition to your resume. The DMA also holds many conferences throughout the year. Networking is another reason many people choose to join the DMA. You can meet fellow marketers at regional or local chapter meetings, or you can take advantage of DMA's career center by posting your resume or searching for jobs. For more information on membership, see DMA's Web site: www.the-dma.org.

Business Marketing Association

• The Business Marketing Association (BMA) has been helping marketing professionals for over 80 years. Unlike other associations, the BMA is geared specifically to business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Consumer marketing and business-to-business marketing follow different trends and use different methods to get out their respective marketing messages out. As a member, you will have access to BMA's webinars, podcasts, and articles. There is also a career center where you can post your resume for recruiters and employers to review. Business- to- business marketing continues to grow and is expected to reach over $85 billion a year. For B2B professionals, the BMA is a great resource to keep up with the latest news.

Promotional Marketing Association

• The Promotional Marketing Association (PMA) was established in 1911. It is dedicated to working with marketing professionals in the areas of shopper, digital, entertainment, promotional, and experimental marketing. Its members work all over the world in a variety of companies, advertising agencies, and universities. Members have access to boot camps, workshops, seminars, and webinars. The PMA also maintains a job database where you can search for jobs or post your resume.